JAYAPURA - The Papua Provincial Government is appealing to the public to comply with the boundaries of the catchment area, so as not to stumble over a legal case with neighboring Papua New Guinea.

Head of the Border and Foreign Cooperation Agency (BPKLN) of Papua Province Suzana Wanggai said that up to 13 fishermen were still detained by Papua New Guinea for violating the borders in fishing.

"These 13 people are still being held by the Papua New Guinean government due to crossing national borders when they want to sail for fish."

"So, on average, those (fishermen) who stumbled over cases in our neighboring country are fishermen from Merauke Regency. Even now, there are still fishermen from Merauke serving their sentences. Hopefully, they are in good condition so that there can be a cut of the prison term," she hoped.

Suzana said that 13 fishermen from Papua who stumbled upon cases of violations of this territorial boundary, had varying prison terms, six months imprisonment, one year, and more.

"The longest period of detention is the captains of the ships. Meanwhile, the crew of the ship with a detention period that is not too long. Of course, we hope that something like this will no longer happen," she said. ***